


And This Can Be Us

by wasted_potential_007



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-03
Updated: 2017-09-08
Packaged: 2018-12-23 05:35:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11983254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wasted_potential_007/pseuds/wasted_potential_007
Summary: Olivia meets Rafael at a bar. And what happens next will change their lives forever.Takes place around the start of season 18*CURRENTLY DISCONTINUED* (But nothing is final)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know where this is going. Sorry in advance.

Rafael Barba walked into a bar. He wasn't really sure what he was doing here, or why he came here, but he did. The ADA sat down and asked for a scotch. The bartender came back with his drink, and he slowly sipped it, thinking over the events that had happened that day. His blissful silence was suddenly interrupted by a voice.

"Rafael? What are you doing here?" Olivia said in surprise. This bar was normally where she drowned her sorrows, seeing that it was only a block away from her apartment. The Cuban whipped his head and looked at the lieutenant, also looking a little surprised. 

"Oh. Hi Liv." He said, motioning for the detective to sit. "I was just passing by and decided to come in."

Olivia ordered a Cabernet, and she slowly started to sip it. They made polite conversation, going over the case they they were working and how horrible defense lawyers were.

"God, don't get me started on Buchannan. He's like a walking, rich trash can. Always spewing crap everywhere." Rafael said, while looking at Olivia laugh. He was quite surprised about how laid-back the lieutenant was, for he hadn't seen this side of Olivia before. The lawyer watched the lieutenant throw back her head and truly laugh, and it was unlike anything he had seen before. She was so... beautiful. Inside and out. The way her eyes twinkled when she was happy, or the way she endlessly pursuited justice. All of those things made her... Olivia. 'Get a grip, Barba' he told himself, while listening to the detective describe in detail her many adventures with Noah. 'And Noah.. She is such a good mom to him' He was suddenly snapped out of his daze by Olivia laughing. Again.

"And he had the bowl upside down on his head. With cereal in his hair! It was one the cutest things I had ever seen." Olivia finished, looking at Rafael for a response. 

He chuckled amusement. "Noah's at home with Lucy, right?" Barba asked.

"Oh of course. Wednesday's are usually my nights out. Normally I would have a date but.. those offers have slowly dried up." Olivia said, taking another sip of her Cabernet. 

Rafael slowly gulped. Here they were, talking about his crush's dating life, and he couldn't even say anything. 'Pull yourself together. Compliment her or something' a voice in his head told him. "How is that possible? You look so.." He trailed off, trying to find the perfect word. "Hot." 'Damnit' he thought. "I mean beautiful. Cute. Whatever.. just.. I'm going to go now, okay?" 

Olivia tried to register what Rafael had just said. 'Cute? Hot? Wha-' she finally noticed him outing on his coat, and she reached out to stop him, tugging on his arm. Both looked surprised at the contact, and Olivia broke the silence. "You think I'm hot?" She asked in disbelief.

"I meant beautiful. Or pretty. God I'm so bad at this." The usually quick-mouthed ADA looked quite embarrassed and was trying not to look at the brunette, which was a first for him. 

"That's.. nice. Thank you." She said, mind still reeling after what she had heard. "I'm.. going to let you go now." She said, letting go of his arm.

"Okay." 

They both just stared at each other, with the lawyer standing up and Olivia sitting down. Finally, Rafael broke his gaze and walked out of the bar, looking back at Olivia one more time. He had no idea what this conversation meant for him. Or for them. 'If there is even a 'us' anymore' he thought cynically. The ADA slowly walked back to his apartment, lost in his own thoughts. 

Back at the bar, Olivia was still nursing her drink, thinking of the conversation they had had. 'He.. thinks I'm hot? Since when was anyone over fourty considered hot?' She asked herself. 'And I'm beautiful? Pretty? What is going on here?' The detective really didn't know what was going on. Her mind was going in circles, and she didn't like it. But the way Rafael had looked at her. Almost as if he had meant to say something..more. 'And what could that be?' She thought. 

The ADA was normally very quick witted and sharp, and tonight he wasn't. That was unexplainable to her, at least. How could she try to make sense of the weird behavior? The lieutenant thought back to him. Rafael. His impeccable style. His glistening green eyes. Him. 'God this alcohol is doing weird things to me.' She thought. But she still couldn't get the image of Rafael out of her head. She mentally went over every conversation they had had, and he was always sharp and quick-witted in them. And he always seemed to understand her and care for. Even during Lewis. In a way, they had become best friends. But why was he suddenly nervous? 

'Holy cow, Olivia.' She thought. 'Go home. See Noah. Do whatever you need to do to keep Rafael out of your mind. You might be going crazy.' The brunette walked out of the bar, trying but failing to get Rafael out of her head. 

She got home, relieved Lucy, and went to go check on Noah. The sleeping form of the young toddler made her smile, and she was happy that she had one stable relationship in her life. 'Not with a man though. Or anyone else special.' 

The brunette got ready for bed, finding herself thinking about Rafael again. And this time, it was about the prospect of him being a father to Noah. 'Why are you thinking about this?' She asked herself. 'It's not like I even see him as a potential partner.' She got into bed and turned off the light, thinking about one thing. Rafael.

\---

Across town, Rafael was having trouble sleeping. A certain lieutenant was still on his mind, and it was driving him crazy. 'Why can't I just be content with her as my friend?' He asked himself. Their friendship was the strongest relationship in his life, with his mom quite distant from him and everyone else either dead or in prison. The ADA's dating life was practically nonexistent, with him devoting himself to his work, not a human relationship. He always thought that was where he would end up, alone with only his work, until he met Olivia. 

She was strong, empathetic, kind, and had an endless pursuit of justice. Not to mention that the lieutenant was quite pretty too. 'But now that won't ever happen' he thought. 'Oh who am I kidding. It probably never was going to happen in the first place.' 

The lawyer eventually fell into a restless sleep, only thinking of one thing. Olivia.<


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Where is this going? I don't know. And thanks for the kudos, also comments are appreciated.

Hours turned into days, and Olivia Benson was no closer to getting Rafael out of her head. Every single time he walked into the precinct, she would stare at him, taking in his new outfit and how it looked on him, as well as his eyes. And hair. And him. 'God get it together Liv.' She thought to herself. 'Why do you spend so much time thinking about him?' Her mind asked her. She honestly had no idea. It wasn't like she thought of him as anything other than a friend, even though he always seemed to understand her and care for her. The lieutenant had come to depend on him during work and in her personal life, for he was someone she could talk to and confide in. 'Unlike all the other men that I have had relationships with.' she thought cynically. 

Then the truth hit her like a brick. 'Crap. I think I love him.'

\---

The ADA was walking out of court from an early arraignment. It had gone well, with the judge siding with him and giving the defendant a million dollars for bail. The man had been beating his wife, and Olivia had persuaded the girl to finally move out and file criminal charges against the bastard. 'Olivia' he thought, the lieutenant suddenly back in his mind. He couldn't ever stop thinking about her. 'Just be content with your friendship.' His mind thought. If only he could. When he had first met Olivia, he was quite surprised with her. The then-detective's reputation had spread far and wide, and when he met her he knew she was the one. She was beautiful, smart, caring, and kind. 'Too bad she isn't interested in you.' he thought. 

When he snapped out of his daze, he was quite surprised at where he was. The ADA had walked into the precinct, almost as if his feet had carried him there without his mind knowing it. And then he saw her. Looking at him. Everything else ceased to exist, and he walked towards her office in a zombie-like fashion. Then he heard Carisi's voice

"Hey Barba." The young detective said with his accent. "What are you doing here?" 

Embarrassed about being caught in the precinct without an official reason, he tried to come up with an excuse. "Oh. Um I was just going to visit Olivia."

Carisi only raised an eyebrow with curiosity, and didn't say anything. He watched as the ADA walked into his boss's office, hoping the lawyer was going to finally talk to her about his feelings. He had known for some time, of course, that Barba was in love with Olivia. And that the feeling was mutual. Growing up with three sisters made him especially keen to romantic tensions in the office, and he had picked up the feeling the first time he had seen the lieutenant and the lawyer argue with each other. It had been like heart-shaped fireworks going off in the room. Of course nobody else had picked up on it, and when he had mentioned it to Rollins she rolled his eyes and dismissed him. Like always. He watch Olivia stand up once the ADA entered the room, smoothing out her clothes. The detective could only imagine what was going on in that room. 

\---

Olivia stood up when Barba entered, and she looked him over once again. He was impeccably dressed, as always, and looked like he normally did. And yet he couldn't seem more different. Everything he did caught her eye, from the straightening of his tie to smoothing out his coat.

She decided to break the silence first. "Hi."

"Hi." Barba said back. Something seemed different now, almost as if they were nervous teenagers. 'Get over yourself' he thought.

"What are you doing here, Rafael?" Olivia didn't know why she used his first name, but it seemed right in this situation. 

"I just wanted to come by, I guess." His mind was slowly turning from the lieutenant's use of his first name. The ADA liked hearing her say it like that. 

"Okay. Um.. I need to talk to you about something." The words were out of her mouth before she realized she had said it, and both adults seemed equally surprised at her words. 'Great. No going back now.' she thought, trying to think of how to word what she was about to say. This man turned her back into the awkward teenager she once was, and she hated it. "It's about our relationship."

Rafael froze at those four words, as his brain went into panic mode. 'It's all over now.' He thought. 'She will never like me. Our relationship is doomed.' He tried to think of something to say, anything. "Continue?"

"I.. think I have feelings for you." She said quietly. 'And you couldn't put it in a less awkward fashion' Her mind told her. 

"What? Can.. you repeat that?" The ADA's mind had completely shut down, not sure if he had heard her right. He didn't know what to do.

"I have feelings for you." Olivia said it much louder this time, and more confidently. She wasn't sure what type of reaction she was going to get, and she was quite scared. The lieutenant realized that this confession could make working together so much harder if they couldn't figure it out, or if the feeling wasn't mutual. "Dammit. I messed up.' She thought, still looking to Rafael for a reaction or an answer. She got one finally, and before she realized it, Rafael's lips were crashing against hers. Her mind froze for a moment, until she finally realized that this was actually happening. The lieutenant reacted, pushing her hands through his hair. Their first kiss was like everything she had imagined, hot and fiery with both of them battling for dominance. 

Rafael's mind was silent. Until the phrase 'This is actually happening' popped into his head. And then he realized that he was actually doing something he had only fantasized about, and he was getting a reaction. A good one. 'I'm actually kissing Olivia Benson' he thought, mind reeling. 

\---

Outside the office, Carisi had finally looked again to see what was happening. And then he looked again. 'Wow. Barba moves fast.' He thought. "Guys! Look in Olivia's office!"

The room became silent as all eyes were drawn to the window of the office, where the blinds were open. Olivia and Barba were kissing. Like making-out kissing. Fin decided to break the silence first. "Damn. I lost." He said, referring to their betting box for co-worker relationships. They all placed monthly bids on their 'ships', or people they would like to see get together. Everyone in the precinct did it, and "Barson" as Carisi had dubbed it was one of the most controversial ones that people were betting on. The room erupted in cheers and claps once the winning betters realized that they were actually going to get money from this, while the other half of the room looked defeated. "Get the box!" Rollins screamed, getting up from her chair. She had betted on the "getting together" side once she had heard Carisi's argument for it, and he was right, although she didn't care to admit it. 

The duo finally realized they were being watched, when Olivia made eye contact with Fin and realized all eyes were on them. She pulled the blinds shut, leaving the people on the outside groaning with disappointment. Carisi had gotten the box of money, and counted the bills inside of it. There was more than 450 dollars inside, with everyone betting with ten or twenty dollar bills. The people who had betted "getting together" ended getting about 35 dollars each, and they were all ecstatic. 

Back in the office, Olivia finally pulled away, eyes twinkling. She looked at Barba's messed up hair, and his roughed up manner, and decided that she wanted this. Him, as a matter of fact. The ADA finally realized what she was looking at, and blushed while he tried to hide it. The lieutenant decided to break the silence first. 

"That was nice." She said, looking into the lawyer's eyes. "I think we have been figured out already though."

"What?" The lawyer exclaimed, peeking through the blinds. Carisi and Rollins were distributing money to multiple people, including themselves, while Fin looked extremely dejected. "Wait.. why are they handing out money?"

"It's the betting box for relationships. Apparently we were a thing." Olivia said matter-of-factually. "I have placed twenty dollars on Carisi and Rollins getting together, maybe you should do that too."

"Wow. Okay. But how did they see us?" Barba asked, still shocked at what had happened.

"I didn't close the blinds until halfway through our.. kiss." Olivia said, looking sheepish. 

Barba gulped thinking of what to say next. "Okay. Where do we go from here? Everyone already knows, but do we even want to do this?" He asked.

"Hey. Rafael. Let me make something really clear. I want this, okay? We probably need to disclose to the higher-ups soon, even if they already know, but it should be alright. Rafael. I. Want. You, alright?"

The ADA felt his eyes getting a little moist at Olivia's confession of love, and thought of what to say next. "Olivia. I have wanted this for a long time. Ever since I met you, in fact. If you want to, I will do this, okay? We could probably disclose tomorrow or something."

The newfound couple face each other, both holding each other's hands, and leaned in to kiss each other again. The room was silent as each person conveyed their feelings to one another tenderly. Maybe they could finally be happy. Together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHEW! That was a long one. Thank you for reading, hopefully this gets a lot more interesting.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why the note from chapter 1 keeps appearing, I'm just gonna ignore it. Also, thank you so so much for all the kudos and comments! Those make my day. This chapter should be eventful, it is a couple hours after the last chapter.

Rafael took a deep breath. Here he was, standing in front Olivia's apartment, holding a bouquet of flowers. 'Okay.. I'm going to do this... I should probably knock first though.' His mind told him. The ADA raised his arm to knock on the door, thinking of how he got here.

\---

After kissing Olivia one last time in the office, Rafael finally pulled away. He looked into the lieutenant's deep brown eyes, thinking of beautiful they were. And how beautiful she was. 

"Olivia, can I ask you something?" The lawyer asked, still holding onto her.

"Sure, Rafael." 

There it was again, he thought. Olivia saying his first name. 'Pull yourself together and ask her!' His mind told him, and the words were out of his mouth before he could stop it.

"Can we go on a date?" 

Olivia was stunned. Here they were, after their very first kiss, and Rafael was already asking her out. No man had ever done that before. 'He's quick.' She thought, thinking of how to answer the question. She could probably ask Lucy to stay for an extra couple of hours... her thoughts were suddenly broken by Barbra's voice.

"Liv? Did I scare you off already?" The lawyer asked, sounding a little nervous. 'Yeah you did that already' he thought cynically. How could he have already ruined this?

"No, Rafael. I would actually love to go out with you." Olivia finally blurted out. 

"Oh. Okay. Can I pick you up at.. 7:00?" The ADA said. This was actually happening, he told himself, thinking of all the restaurants that Olivia might like. 

"Sure." 

\---

And here he was, standing outside Olivia's apartment, watching the door slowly open. 

Lucy poked her head out, and saw that it was Rafael. 

"Oh hello Mr. Barba. I'm assuming that you are Olivia's date?" The college student said, eyeing the ADA. He was dressed in one of his normal suits, complete with a tie and suspenders. 

"Oh. Yes. I can just wait out here." He said, feeling a little awkward. 'Man up.' He thought. 

"Don't be silly. Here, come in." Lucy opened the door, and Rafael stepped in. He took in the apartment, looking as messy as the last time he had been here. Rafael smirked, thinking of how he had carried Noah like he was some type of bomb. 'Hopefully I can get a second chance.' He thought, looking down at the toddler. Noah was currently playing with some toy cars in his train onesie, and the lawyer bent down to play with him.

"Hi Noah." He said, reaching over for one of the cars. "What sound does a car make? Vroom vroom!" The lawyer moved to tickle the toddler, which caused some adorable giggling on the three year olds part. 

Olivia had just walked out of the bathroom after getting dressed, and smiled at the encounter. She wasn't sure how Farawl would interact with the toddler, seeing as last time he had held the child like a dangerous creature. But he seemed completely at ease now, playing with Noah's toy cars. "Hi Rafael." She said, after a couple moments of watching the two interact. 

"Oh." The lawyer stood up, smoothing out his suit and straightening his tie. "These are for you." He gave Olivia the flowers, and she got out out a vase to put them in. You could feel the romantic tension in the room, as the two eyed each other up and down. 

'Wow, these two have got it bad..' Lucy thought, extremely happy for her boss to finally get out and date someone. She had insisted that Olivia wouldn't pay her for the extra hours, but the older woman had won, and had given her an extra twenty dollar bill for babysitting Noah. "Well you two should go now." Lucy said, breaking the silence. 

"Yeah.. here let me help you with that." Rafael said, moving to help Olivia on win her coat. The two stepped outside the apartment after Olivia said goodbye to Noah and thanked Lucy profusely for taking the extra hours. 

\---

They arrived at a Cuban restaurant after walking a couple blocks, and were seated near the back of the restaurant. Even though the two had known each other for four years, they were still both acting like nervous teenagers on a first date. 

"This restaurant is.. nice." Olivia finally said, breaking the silence. She looked over the menu, surprised to see everything in Spanish. 

"Yeah. This was my favorite place to go when I was little." The Cuban said, also looking over the menu. His childhood had been rough, growing up in the projects. His father was often drunk and would lash out to both his mom and him, verbally and physically. He will bore scars because of it. But he really didn't want to talk about it now. There was another thing he had yet to say, and he wasn't sure how to put it. He knew he was bisexual, but the lawyer didn't know how Olivia would react to it. Everyone else he had dated had either broken up wth him or thought he was joking, and he had never found someone who understood. 'Might as well get this over with now' he thought.

"Olivia?" He said, after a couple of minutes of silence. 

"Yes?" She looked up from her menu finally, staring into his glistening green eyes. 

"I.. have to tell you something." The lawyer sounded nervous. Again. The lieutenant was not used to seeing him like this, but she liked it. Seeing the vurnerable side of Rafael. It only made him seem more human. 'And attractive' she thought. 

"I'm bisexual." 

Olivia was stunned. She normally didn't go this far in on first dates, and she knew that he was nervous. The lieutenant knew how he felt, confessing to dates. She had done it before, and they all had dumped her because of it. She was silent, until realizing that the ADA was looking for an answer. 

"I'm bi too." 

It was Rafael's turned to be shocked, as his mind reeled over the confession. 'She's.. bisexual too?' In his mind, it only made her more perfect. 

"Wow.... Okay, I have to ask this. You ever.." The Cuban trailed off, not sure how to ask this.

"Sleep with girls? Yeah. You?" Olivia finished his sentence for him, knowing that this question was quite one of the first that all of her dates had asked. She wasn't surprised that Rafael had asked this, because she would have too. 

"Guy? Yeah." He looked a little sheepish, almost as if he should be ashamed. But the lawyer decided to delve in further. "It was.. with a guy in college." 

Olivia knew that she should be surprised, but she really wasn't. "I have too.. It was with.. a former coworker." 

Rafael peeked up a little, interested to see who it was. "May I ask who?" 

"Yeah. Alex Cabot." Olivia finally blurted out. She seemed a little embarrassed because of it.

Rafael's mind was reeling. 'Alex Cabot? The Alex Cabot? Holy crap.' He thought. The ADA couldn't have guessed in a thousand years that she was lesbian. Or bisexual, for that matter. "Wow." He finally said.

"It was... brief. It was more about the sex then the relationship... but once she 'died' it just ended." The brunette continued, referring to the time the former ADA had gone into witness protection. "And then once she came back, she avoided me for three years... I just couldn't do it anymore. We loved each other though... but I'm over her now." She looked at Rafael for an answer, and she finally got one. 

"Okay. I didn't know that Alex was.."

"Bisexual? Yeah. Not a lot of people know now, actually. We tried to get back together some time ago... but it didn't work out." Olivia said, thinking back to the time that Alex had showed up on her doorstep one night, surprised to see that she had a kid. Olivia had tried to explain, but the former ADA had left. 

"Let's not talk about her anymore. That relationship.. it was a mistake, Rafael." 

"Seems like you have a thing for lawyers." The ADA finally said, storing the information into his head to think about later. 

Olivia looked sheepish at the comment, and was momentarily distracted when their food came. She let out a groan that caused Rafael to blush as she took the first bite of her pork, and it was silent for the next couple of minutes as they both dove into their dishes.

They resumed the light conversation, with Olivia talking about Noah and the two of them talking about work. Time flew by, and before they knew it, the bill was at the table.

"I'll get it." Rafael said, knowing that it probably wasn't going to happen. He knew that the lieutenant didn't like anyone else taking care of stuff for her.

"Absolutely not. We can split it, alright?" Olivia said, taking out some bills out of her wallet. 

Rafael conceded, knowing that whatever Olivia set her mind to, it would probably happen, especially with money.

The two exited the restaurant arm in arm, waving goodbye to their waitress and exchanging rounds of "Gracias." The couple reached the sidewalk, and walked quietly back to Olivia's apartment. 

"That was nice." Olivia finally broke the silence, moving to kiss Rafael on the cheek. The ADA turned his head at the last moment, meeting her lips with his. They kissed, silent for a couple of moments, only to pull apart after someone screamed "Get a room!" To the couple. 

The two finally arrived in front of Olivia's apartment door, and they faced each other as Olivia spoke up. 

"I would ask you to come in, but the first date rule still applies." She said, staring into Rafael's glistening green eyes. 

"We've had dinner together before, and dunks together too. So would this count as a first date?" He said back.

"Are you saying this isn't our first date?" The lieutenant asked, with a hint of amusement in her tone. "I do have to get home to Noah though.. how about this. I'll give you a second date. Deal?"

"Deal." Rafael leaned in to kiss her one last time.

"See you tomorrow, Liv." 

"See you tommorow." 

Olivia watched as the ADA walked down the hallway of her apartment building, meeting eyes with him one last time before dissapearing into her apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, there was some hints of Cabenson.. if you want you can check out my fic about that *wink wink with self-promotion* but thank you for reading, commenting, and leaving kudos! Those honestly make my day! Hopefully the next chapter will be coming out soon.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aannnnd I'm back! Sorry about the long wait, it's almost impossible to write during the week.

"We should disclose." 

That was the first thing that Rafael said, after plopping on the couch. They had gone on a second date a week after the first, and Olivia had invited him into her apartment. And that was where he was now. 

"Do we have to?" Olivia said. She just wanted to get this conversation over with, and get to the real reason of tonight. Rafael. His eyes. And body. Him. Somehow the dates had only stoked her want for the ADA, and tonight she was throbbing with anticipation. 

"Yes Liv. Everyone knows already, we just have to make it official." Rafael said, looking into her eyes. She was as beautiful as ever, with her flowing hair and dress. 'That dress' he thought. It was a purple color, showing off just the right amount of skin while complimenting her figure at the same time. 

Olivia knew that Rafael was right, and she didn't protest anymore. She didn't protest when Rafael met her lips with his, or when he fumbled with the zipper on her dress. Her mind was in a lusty haze, only slightly aware that she was peeling of Rafael's three peice suit. Their lovemaking was fiery and passionate, with each communicating years of suppressed feelings onto each other. The couple, almost bounded together, stumbled into Olivia's bedroom, collapsing on the bed. 

\---

Hours later, the two collapsed onto the bed fully naked, thoroughly exhausted. 

Olivia finally broke the silence. "That...

"Was amazing." Rafael finished, looking at the lieutenant. He communicated his feelings for her in a gaze, focusing on her. No more words were exchanged, as both people fell asleep, still holding onto each other.

\---

Rafael woke up the next morning feeling the cold air. He looked over and saw Olivia with all of the covers wrapped around her, and chuckled slightly with amusment. The lieutenant looked strangely at peace and extremely calm, unlike when she was at work. The ADA felt lucky to see this side of Olivia, the one who wasn't loaded with stress from the job and pressure from everyone. He placed a cheek on her forehead, feeling the brunette stir. 

"Rafael?" Olivia mumbled, slowly cracking one eye open. 

"Good morning." The lawyer said, watching the lieutenant slowly wake up.

"What time is it?" 

Rafael looked at the digital clock on the nightstand. "6:15." 

"Oh. Noah will be up in about half an hour, so we should probably get up." Olivia said, almost fully awake. 

"Why can't I just lie here with you?" The ADA whined, snatching back some of the blankets from Olivia. 

"Because we both have work to do. You want to shower first?" 

"I guess.." Rafael said, finally getting out of bed after a moment. He looked at Olivia laying there, watching him, and decided he wanted this. And he would do whatever he could to keep it.

\---

Thirty minutes, two showers, and one kiss later, Olivia, Rafael, and Noah all were in the kitchen. The two-year old was "eating" his cereal, and both Rafael and Olivia were enjoying a cup of coffee. The two watched Noah adoringly as he whacked the bowl around while crunching on some cheerios, creating a mess. 

Olivia moved to clean the mess up, but Rafael intervened. "Hey, why don't I clean this up, and you get him changed." He said, helpfully sweeping some cereal into his hand. 

"Thanks Rafael." Olivia responded, while picking up Noah and walking over to his bedroom. She wasn't sure about Rafael and Noah, but he was more helpful then Tucker had ever been. The lieutenant decided that she wanted this. Him. A family. And she would do everything in her power to keep it going. The brunette quickly got Noah out of his onesie and into his clothes, getting him ready for Lucy. 

The college student came in 15 minutes later and saw Noah playing with Rafael and Olivia. She smiled at the peacefulness of it all, and hoped that her boss's newfound relationship was going as well as it seemed. 'And from the looks of it, it's going great' she thought, eyeing the discarded clothes still on the ground, and Rafael in a wrinkled shirt and pants. 

"Lucy!" Olivia said, finally noticing the girl standing there. "Hey. Noah is fed and changed, he has daycare today from 9:00 to 12:00, and.."

"All of the food is in the fridge and make sure to get him outside a little?" Lucy finished. "Mrs. Benson, I'll be fine. Just like any other day, okay? Now please get to work."

Olivia only grinned, looking for her coat. Rafael picked it up, helping her slip it on. The two left the apartment hand in hand. 

"Rafael, are you sure you don't need to go to your apartment?" Olivia asked while getting into the car. 

"No, I have a spare suit at the office. Besides, we can't be late today. Disclosing, remember?" Rafael said, sticking the keys into the ignition. It was a quick drive to work, and he would drop off Olivia at the precinct before heading to the courthouse. 

\---

Olivia walked into the precinct smiling, despite having to talk to Dodds today about her relationship with Rafael. She could only hope that he would have time today to talk to her. 

"Hey, someone got lucky!" Fin said, when Olivia entered the room. She only smirked, knowing full well that he was only joking, but still denied it. 

"What are you talking about?" She said, looking around the room for anyone to challenge her. 

"You know what. You have a serious after-glow, Liv." 

Both Carisi and Rollins nodded their head, and seeing that she wasn't getting any support on the subject from any co-workers, Olivia walked to her office. 

She was about to pick up the phone when Dodds walked in the room. The lieutenant knew that he was still grieving after his son's death, but she had to do this. 'For Rafael' she though. 

"Hey Chief, could I talk to you?" The brunette said, poking her head out of the office. 

"Sure." He walked over, closing the door behind him. "So?" 

"It's about a private matter.. a relationship actually." The lieutenant said, looking slightly nervous. 

The Chief perked up at this. He knew about the whole caught kissing thing between Barba and Benson that had occurred, and was relieved that it was finally happening. He knew that they loved each other, it was only a matter of time before they both saw it. 

"Raf- I mean Barba and I are in a relationship." The brunette finally said, looking at the Chief for a reaction. 

"Finally! Good for you." He said, patting Olivia on the back. Olivia was quite puzzled by the reaction she got. 

"That's it?" She asked.

"Well, yeah. You can't be the leading witness on any cases with him, and on cases with lots of media coverage, keep your hands off as much as possible. And keep it out of the precinct, please. I don't need you two being caught kissing again." 

Olivia was a little stunned by what he said, thinking to herself 'Does everyone know?' 

Dodds then gave her the rundown of a new case, telling her about an order that had come down from OnePP. Olivia only payed attention for about half of it, the other half of the time only hoping that Rafael's disclosure was going the same way. 

\---

Rafael left the DA's office, stunned. He wasn't sure what had prompted the reaction from the DA, but it was quite unexpected. He played the response that he had gotten over and over again in his mind. 'Finally, you two are together. But I don't want to transfer you because of this. She shouldn't be a witness unless she had to, and have her keep her hands off those high-media cases. And keep it out of the courthouse. Your kissing fiasco has spread around here and in the precinct.' Rafael had left the office, wondering about how many other people knew. He wanted to call her immediately and tell her the good news, but there was an arraignment he had to attend. 

\---

Rafael's phone pinged right after arraignment had ended.

"Lunch?" It said, showing a text from Olivia. He smiled, quickly replying back with "Yes. I'll bring takeout to your office." 

The ADA swung by a Thai place and got some takeout for the squad. He wanted their approval if he was going to date their boss, and some egg rolls and noodles could go a long way. He walked into the precinct, and saw the Olivia was in her office, and everyone was present at their desks. "Slow day?" He asked Carisi. 

"Yeah. Just paperwork waiting to be filled out." The young detective replied. "Wait. Is that takeout?" 

"Yeah." The ADA said, taking some cartons of rice, vegetables, noodles, and egg rolls out of the bag. "These are for you, Rollins, and Fin." 

"Trying to buy our approval?" Rollins asked, after noticing Rafael there. He smiled a little, looking a bit sheepish. 

"Maybe." He said. The lawyer knocked on Olivia's doorframe, seeing that her office was open. The lieutenant lifted up her head, saw that it was Rafael, and smiled and said "Come in." 

He closed the door behind him and set the takeout on the table. 

"My two favorite things: Food and you." Olivia said, looking at the food on her desk. They unpacked the white cartons and started eating.

"And I would think that I rank on the top of the list." Rafael said. 

"Don't flatter yourself." Olivia fired back lightheartedly. "So.. disclosure? How did it go for you?" The mood in the room turned serious, and Rafael looked up from his food. 

"The DA said that as long as we keep it out of the courthouse and precinct and I don't have you as a witness unless I need to we should be fine." He said, looking at Olivia for a reaction. 

"Dodds said the same thing to me. And he mentioned the kissing incident." She said, after looking at Rafael for quite some time. 

"So did the DA. How does everyone know?" Rafael inquired.

"I have absolutely no idea." Olivia said. 

"Ugh, if the DA knows then it's probably circling around the courthouse rumor mill. You think high school girls are bad, you haven't even seen lawyer yet." Rafael said with a snort. 

"Same with cops. Except if someone breaks a cop's heart, we go out for revenge." 

"Brothers in blue." Rafael said, as he finished eating. 

He stood up, closed the blinds, and kissed Olivia on the lips. Hopefully now, they could be happy. Together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fluff in this! And hopefully I will update more often over the weekend. Comments (and kudos) are always appreciated!


End file.
